Stranded in Yokohama

 In 1964, the Philippines sent 42 athletes to the Tokyo Olympics and the delegation would’ve included the basketball team only coach Tito Eduque’s squad failed to survive a pre-qualifying tournament in Yokohama.

It’s one of the sad stories of Philippine sports. The Philippines had never missed playing basketball at the Olympics since 1936 when the sport was introduced in the Summer Games calendar. The Philippines finished fifth in 1936 (the highest placing of any Asian country ever), 12th in 1948, out of the top eight (unclassified) in 1952, seventh in 1956 and 11th in 1960.

For the record, the fifth place 1936 team was made up of Charlie Borck, Jacinto Ciria-Cruz, Franco Marquicias, Primitivo Martinez, Jess Marzan, Amador Obordo, Bibiano Ouano, Ambrosio Padilla, John Worrell and Fortunato Yambao. The closest any Asian team has come to that finish was eighth by China in 1996, 2004 and 2008.

There were 16 slots for basketball at the 1964 Olympics. Automatic tickets were awarded to host Japan and the top eight finishers in the previous Olympics – US, Soviet Union, Brazil, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Poland and Uruguay. Europe brought in Hungary and Finland from the continental qualifiers while the Americas added Puerto Rico and Peru. Egypt, representing Africa, and Czechoslovakia later withdrew from the competition. To fill in the vacant four slots, a pre-qualifying tournament involving 10 countries was held in Yokohama on Sept. 25 to Oct. 4, 1964. It ended a week before the Olympic basketball hostilities reeled off on Oct. 11.

The 10 teams in Yokohama were Australia, Canada, Cuba, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand. Since the original qualifiers listed no Asian country, the pre-Olympic tournament invited six from Asia.

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The Philippine team was composed of Ed Ocampo, Manny Jocson, Boy Arazas, Alfonso Marquez, Ciso Bernardo, Eddie Pacheco, Felix Flores, Sonny Reyes, Elias Tolentino, Turo Valenzona, Big Boy Reynoso and Ed Roque. Among the stars in the qualifiers were Australia’s Werner Linde and Lindsay Gaze (whose son Andrew later played in the NBA), Cuba’s Pedro Chappe, South Korea’s Shin Dong Pa, Mexico’s Manuel Raga and Taiwan’s Robert Poon.

The Philippines got off on the wrong foot and lost a 90-85 decision to Mexico in its first game. But the Filipinos rebounded to whip Malaysia, 85-55 and Taiwan, 95-71, only to lose to lightweight Indonesia, 98-86, Cuba, 84-69 and Australia, 71-69 (after leading at the half, 32-29). The Philippines went on to defeat Thailand, 98-71 then lost to Canada, 68-64, and South Korea, 90-58 (after leading at the half, 32-25).

Mexico, Australia, Canada and South Korea finished in the top four and advanced to compete at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo. The Philippines fell to sixth place with a 3-6 record and was stranded in Yokohama. The setback broke a string of five consecutive Olympic appearances for the Philippines in basketball. The US eventually took the gold medal with future NBA stars Bill Bradley, Joe Caldwell, Walt Hazzard, Luke Jackson and Jeff Mullins coached by Hank Iba. Japan wound up 10th and South Korea, 16th and last.        

Boxer Anthony Villanueva was the only Filipino to return home from Tokyo with a medal, the country’s first Olympic silver ever. He fought courageously for the gold in the featherweight finals but lost a controversial split 3-2 decision to Russia’s Stanislav Stepashkin who had knocked out four straight opponents on the way to the championship. For his efforts, Stepashkin was awarded the Honored Master of Sports and the Order of the Badge of Honor by the Soviet government. The Russian lost only 11 of 204 amateur bouts in his career and it should’ve been 12. He died last year at the age of 73. Villanueva passed away last month at the age of 69. It seemed like Stepashkin was cared for in his senior years by an appreciative government unlike Villanueva.

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The Philippines sent five other fighters to Tokyo but none made it to the semifinals. The delegation included 10 tracksters, notably future legends Mona Sulaiman, Lolita Lagrosas and Josephine de la Vina, four cyclists three of whom did not finish their races, two gymnasts who ended up second to the last and last among 130 competitors in the long horse vault, four judokas, nine shooters with Chito Feliciano, Edgar Bond and Martin Gison, two swimmers, one weightlifter and four wrestlers with Job Mayo and Tortillano Tumasis.

In 1968, the Philippines was back playing basketball at the Mexico Olympics with Caloy Loyzaga coaching a team composed of Reynoso, Jimmy Mariano, Tolentino, Reyes, Ocampo, Orly Bauzon, Jake Rojas, Tembong Melencio, Danny Florencio, Jun Papa, Marquez and Robert Jaworski. The Philippines finished 13th of 16 with a 3-6 record, beating Senegal, 80-68, Morocco, 86-57 and South Korea, 66-63.

In 1972, the Philippines played basketball for the last time at the Olympics with Ning Ramos steering a squad made up of Ocampo, Melencio, Mariano, Florencio, Bernardo, Marte Samson, Papa, Bogs Adornado, Yoyong Martirez, Manny Paner, Freddie Webb and Joy Cleofas. The Philippines retained 13th spot of 16 with a 3-6 record, beating Senegal, 68-62, Egypt by default and Japan, 82-73.

Only one slot is available for Asia at the 2016 Olympics and it will go to the winner of the FIBA Asia Championships in 2015. If the Philippines, with Andray Blatche in harness, qualifies among 12 teams to play in Rio de Janeiro, it will be the country’s first Olympic basketball appearance in 44 years. An Olympic return will also be a soothing balm to the wound of the 1964 debacle in Yokohama.